12/15/2022
The Lord will certainly guide our steps when we walk the path of the righteous man by believing in Him, loving Him, obeying Him, and having not only faith in Him, but trusting in Him to act. Do we believe this to be true, and even though we often wait upon Him, do we trust enough to lean on Him completely without fear of falling?
“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”
Psalm 37:5, 23-24 ESV
Many businesses today will send groups of their employees to various camps and seminars to learn how to work with each other more effectively as a team, and one of the first lessons they must master is learning to trust one another. They do this by various means, but one of the most widely used is for them to pair up in two lines with one person crossing their hands across their chest and closing their eyes while the other stand behind them. Then the instructor tells the person with their eyes closed to let themselves fall backwards, and for the person standing behind them to catch them as they fall.
This sounds so simple, but it requires trust, blind trust, of the person who is letting themselves fall. They must believe completely that whoever is standing behind them will not only catch them, but is capable of doing so before they hit the floor and hurt themselves. As Christians we call believing in this way trust, and we trust and have faith in Jesus, and our Father God.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”
Proverbs 3:5 ESV
It seems so easy when we simply think about trusting in God to save us from falling, or doing any of the millions of other things we ask of Him in prayer during our lives; after all, He is almighty, all powerful, the creator of the universe, surely He can protect us, provide for us, guide us… or catch us before we hit the ground… right?
“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 ESV
Well, we all express our belief in the fact that God will do these things until we can’t see the end of our troubles, our eyes are closed to what lies ahead, and our arms are crossed across our chest such that we can’t catch ourselves… we are confident until that moment when we begin to fall backwards. Then, our belief and faith are challenged and we instinctively feel a sudden rush of fear and doubt. Right? Does this sound familiar? Haven’t we all been there? What comes next though is what really counts, and is the essence of our faith. In the next instant, days, or years, we must overcome our natural fear by trusting in our belief and faith completely.
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”
Psalm 56:3-4 ESV
So how do we overcome the instant challenges to our faith and belief? How do we build our trust in God, and Jesus Christ to the point where it is instinctive, immediate, and able to overcome that rush of fear and doubt? We do so by reading God’s Word, and dwelling in it. We pick a couple of “go to” verses that encourage us in our trust, and memorize them. Then we repeat them to ourselves over and over again until we form the spiritual equivalent to muscle memory.
Muscle memory comes when an activity is practiced, or performed, so many times that when a certain situation or stimulus occurs we respond immediately to it without having to consciously think. Elite athletes exhibit this ability, masterful musicians do this as their fingers move like lightening as they play, and we as Christians need to be able to do this too. Our faith, our belief, and especially our trust in the Lord should become so familiar and practiced, that they will overcome the world around us instantly, and with little to no thought. Are we that practiced in our faith? Is our trust in God so automatic that we hardly realize a ripple in the calm, peace, and rest, we experience while leaning into Him? If not, are we ready to begin developing our spirit memory?
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
Isaiah 26:3-4 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for being true, and consistent in who you are. Thank you for your unwavering promises, and for catching us each time we lean or fall into you. Help us Lord to overcome the fear and doubt in the world by immersing ourselves in your Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Teach us how to respond to temptation by repeating your Word, and not by our own effort, just as Jesus did when tempted. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who catches us whenever we fall, and acts to help us in every challenge we face. Praised be your name for the trust you have fostered in us by your steadfast faithfulness. You, and your Son Jesus are unchanging from alpha to omega, and from the Old Testament to the New… in this we trust. Into you we lean with comfort. Merciful are you who rescues us, and provides for our every need. Great are you whose strong right arm cradles us. Loving, gentle, and good, are you whose grace is sufficient, and comforting is your hand as you wash us in the blood of Jesus, and cleanse us of sin. Just are you who will judge us in Christ on the day of our judgement, and see us not for who we were, but as transformed in the image of your Son Jesus. We pray that you will strengthen us in our belief, and faith, and that our trust in you will be as you are; strong and unchanging for all eternity… perfected by your steadfast love.
““For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”
Malachi 3:6 ESV
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 ESV
Rich Forbes